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Selune
, Moon, , | favored weapon = “The Rod of Four Moons” (heavy mace) | worshipers = Female spell casters, good and neutral lycanthropes, navigators, monks (Sun Soul), sailors | cleric alignments = CG, CN, NG }} Character and Reputation Selune (seh-loon-ay) represents the mysterious power of the moon, the celestial force that influences the tides, changes lycanthropes, orders of reproductive cycles, and pulls at the edges of sanity. An incalculably ancient deity, Selune approaches existence with the placid calm of dappled moonlight. Like the moon itself, the quietly mystical Lady of Silver has many faces. At times, she seems distant, cloaked in the sadness of past defeats and tragedies. At others, she dances joyfully, her lithe form glowing with majestic radiance. A chaotic being well accustomed to change, Selune can be count on for at least one constant--her ceaseless war against her archnemesis Shar. Together the two created Toril and infused it with life, and ever since, they have battled over the fate of their creation. Clergy and Temples Many of Faerun’s residents live according to the dictates of the night sky, and hence Selune boasts a highly diverse body of worshipers. Seafarers turn to the star-speckled canopy above their nocturnal voyages to navigate the seaways, often offering prayers to the Moonmaiden to protect them from Umberlee’s attentions. Nonevil lycantrhopes honor Selune as the master of their fate, as do astrologers and fortune tellers, albeit for different reasons. The common folk know servants of Selune as mysterious agents of good, enemies of evil were beasts and undead, and caretakers of lunatics and the infirm. Though few understand the intricacies of her ancient religion, most good-hearted Faerunians respect her clergy and pay homage to her when the moon is full. Clerics of Selune pray for their spells at night, always facing in the direction of the moon when visible. Women heavily outnumber men, and many of the church’s rituals honor the woman’s role as a teacher and role model in the home and in society at large. Selune’s doctrine suggests that the moon exerts a subtle influence upon the natural cycles of a woman’s body. A female cleric of Selune believes she is closest to her deity during the full moon, and during that period, she conducts morning ceremonies to open herself to special visions, insights, and intuitions. Milk, as a symbol of motherhood and the sustaining power of the feminine, plays an important role in most Selunite ceremonies. All clerics observe two annual holidays, the Conjuring of the Second Moon and the Mystery of the Night. The Conjuring of the Second Moon, held every Shieldmeet, is a coordinated chant at every Faerunian temple of Selune. This confluence of devotional energy summons the Shards, a cadre of blue-haired female planetars, to do the bidding of Selune's terrestrial clergy for a single night--usually battling the forces of Shar. On the following dawn, the Shards elevate one moral cleric to their order. The Mystery of the Night must be performed once every year by each cleric of Selune. During the ritual, clerics fly high into the air to commune with the Moonmaiden while in a deep trance. Selune’s clerics often multiclass as bards, silverstars, or sorcerers. The Moonmaiden’s clergy believe that “anywhere the full moon shines is the place for Selune.” Her worshipers tend to be patient, accepting all with an understanding ear and a healing hand. Selune’s lessons of compassion and guidance through observation of the heavens resonate strongest with sailors, nonevil lycanthropes, and especially female casters. Her church possesses a very chaotic hierarchy, which occasionally shifts with the phase of the moon or other less predictable heavenly phenomena. Clerics of Selune value self-reliance, humility, and practical application of common sense far more than rigid adherence to stodgy ceremonies. Clerics frequently arm themselves with a special kind of mace known as the Moon’s Hand, which replaces the standard head of the weapon with a representation of the moon (those of different temples prefer different phases). Moon’s Hands come in heavy and light varieties, and are in all other ways identical to maces. The appearance of Selune’s temples vary as much as her clerics, from small shrines in the wilderness to huge open-air or skylit buildings the size of great mansions. Reflecting ponds, small gardens, and feminine zymology dominate Selunite architecture. Itinerant clerics wander Faerun in search of potential worshipers, always keeping an eye out for those afflicted by lycanthropy or madness. Those with the capability to heal sufferers do so; others accompany them to the nearest temple of Selune, where they are cared for by senior clerics. Wanderers of the church also subtly spread an ideology of female empowerment entwined with Selunite homilies, which is growing popular among alewives, laundresses, seamstresses, and servants. Those clerics who remain bound to temples (usually but not always due to age) dispense healing, earn coin for the church by telling fortunes from star charts, and minister to residents of the sanitariums and asylums that frequently abut Selunite temples. Both types of clerics unite when evil lycanthropes threaten the community, doing everything within their power to root out the magical affliction and cure or destroy it. History and Relations with other deities According to the oldest myths, Lord Ao created the universe that now holds the world of Toril. Through this act of creation, protoplasmic raw existence took the form of twin deities, one representing light and one representing darkness. These deities, Selune and Shar, birthed the heavenly bodies, in the process creating Chauntea as the animating spirit of the world of Toril. Chauntea begged the sisters to grant her world warmth and light that life might flourish upon it. Selune relented, igniting the sun with elemental fire. Shar, who treasured the primordial darkness and resented Chauntea’s concept of life, lashed out at her sister, initiating a conflict that has endured to the present day. Enraged, the Lady of Loss snuffed out the lights of Selune, greatly weakening her in magical battle. Finally, the Moonmaiden tore a piece of her magical essence from herself and flung it at Shar. When the blast hit the Dark Deity, it ripped away some of her essence as well. From the meld of light and dark energies came Mystryl, a being of pure magic who went on to shepherd the Weave blanketing all Toril. Mystryl more closely identified with Selune, granting the Moon maiden a powerful ally--at terrible cost. Selunes magical onslaught cast Shar into the darkness for centuries and allowed warmth and light to grace Toril, but the assault wounded her to the core. Since then her power has waxed and waned with the passing of epochs, while Shar, ever waiting to strike from the shadows, retains much of her ancient strength. Selune’s power seems to be on the rise. Prior to the Time of Troubles, her potency had ebbed to the point that she was a servitor to Sune Firehair. In the last decade, however, she has once again branched out on her own, forging new alliances in her eternal battle against her dark sister. Among her strongest allies in this cause is Mystra (the second deity to follow her ancient, long-dead friend as protector of the Weave), especially since Shar created the mysterious Shadow Weave, a force antithetical to Mystran doctrine. Lliira and Eilistraee share Selune’s love of moonlit frolics. She respects Lathander’s passion and hopes that by working together the two can cast destroying light upon Shar’s ever-present darkness. Selune struggles with Umberlee over the fate of ships at sea, and with Mask over the evil he commits in the moonlight’s dark shadows. Dogma Let all on whom Selune’s light falls be welcome if they desire. As the silver moon waxes and wanes, so too does life. Trust in Selune’s radiance, and know that all love alive under her light shall know her blessing. Turn to the moon, and she will be your true guide. Promote acceptance and tolerance. See all other beings as equals. Aid fellow Selunites as if they were your dearest friends. See Also * Forgotten Realms Wiki References Category:Deities Category:Intermediate Deities Category:Deities for Neutral Good Category:Deities for Chaotic Good Category:Deities for Chaotic Neutral Category:Any Race Deities